“I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.” – Forrest Gump.
It irks me every time, that just because animals have not managed to develop complex tools or technology, that humans, in their infinite arrogance, then conclude that animals are so stupid, that they can not even grasp to any degree the most basic biological concepts, that the eggs they lay contain their offspring. I mean, come the fuck on.
We know that primates habitually use tools for everyday tasks.
We know that certain birds use tools, as well.
We have experiments demonstrating that certain birds are capable of complex problem solving, and have a solid understanding of basic physics, including water displacement.
I have seen the experiment where a dog was told to fetch an unknown toy from a pile, and the dog deduced that on a pile of toys that she knew by name, the one toy she did not know, had to be the one she was supposed to fetch, and chose it accordingly. They are capable of logical reasoning.
But no, despite all that, people continue to be convinced that animals are just rote automatons, because they want to continue to cling to their belief of being a special creation, made in the image of god, because god forbid they should be forced to accept that the animals they deem so inferior, are a lot closer to themselves than they would like.